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Friday, October 2, 2009

Cheese Straws

I was so busy this past week. I had the best intentions of featuring lots of "C" recipes and I simply could not find the time. Last week, I was out finishing some last minute errands for my husband's birthday when I came across a cookbook for $3. Here's the thing about cookbooks: you spend the money on them and, half the time, there are only about 6 recipes out of 100 that you actually like. Not this cookbook. This one is entitled, "Gifts from the kitchen" published by Love Food Books. Apparently, they have a series of others just like this. I swear I can't wait to bake all 40 of these yummy recipes. Each one is straight forward and easy to put together. Things like Chocolate Nut Clusters, Easy Nut Brittle, Pistachio Turkish Delight, Almond and Cashew Toffee and Herbs de Provence Oil. The pictures are gorgeous and mouthwatering too. Today, I'm featuring the Cheese Straws. These go great with salad and soup or for a nice afternoon snack.

Cream the butter in an electric mixer, then add the remaining ingredients (the mixture will be very crumbly). Turn onto a lightly floured work surface and shape the dough into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 425. Slice off pieces of dough and roll them in to 1 inch balls. Then, with the palms of your hands, roll the balls into long, thin strips, like straws. Place them on a lightly greased baking sheet (I HIGHLY recommend using parchment paper instead of greasing the sheet; simply cut off a piece the size of the baking sheet and lay it on the baking sheet). Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden and crispy. Once cooled, store in an airtight container for up to one month.